Toilet deodorizer



Aug. 12, 1958 J. R. HERRIOTT TOILET DEODORIZER Filed-March 22, 1954 ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 12, 1958 TOILET DEODORIZER James R. Herriott, Alamo, Calif. Application March 22, 1954, Serial No. 417,735

1 Claim. (Cl. 4213) The present invention relates to improvements in a toilet deodorizer, and its principal object is to provide a deodorizer of the character described that is simple in construction, forms a complete unit, may be readily suspended from the upper edge of the toilet bowl at any convenient point, is attractive in appearance, and still rather inconspicuous, particularly when suspended from a portion of the bowl which is normally out of sight.

It is further proposed to provide a deodorizer of the character described in which an electrically operated fan is used for drawing air from the toilet bowl and for discharging the same through a deodorizing medium, the fan being controlled by a switch hidden in the fan housing and operable by a plunger which in turn is operated by the toilet seat.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a plunger mechanism which is biased toward opening the switch and which is made to close the switch only when acted upon by considerable weight, as by the weight of a seat occupant.

Further objects and advantage of my invention will be disclosed as the specification proceeds, and the new and useful features of my toilet deodorizer will be fully defined in the claim attached hereto.

The preferred form of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, forming part of this application, in which:

Figure 1 shows a vertical section through my toilet deodorizer as applied to a toilet bowl, a portion of which is shown in dotted lines; v

Figure 2, a top plan view of my deodo-rizer;

Figure 3, a top plan view, on a reduced scale, of a conventional toilet installation having my deodorizer attached thereto;

Figure 4, a side view of my deodorizer, looking at it from the far side;

Figure 5, a section taken along line 5 of Figure l; and

Figure 6, a section taken along line 6-6 of Figure 1.

While I have shown only the preferred form of my deodorizer, it should be understood that various changes or modifications may be made within the scope of the claim attached hereto, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Referring to the drawing in detail, my deodorizer comprises in its principal features a housing 1 adapted for suspension from the upper edge of a toilet bowl by means of a mouth piece 2 and clamps 3, the housing having a lower cylindrical section 4 presented horizontally and having a deodorant magazine 5 mounted therein, with a motor driven fan or blower 6 mounted in the housing over the magazine.

The mouth piece is in the form of a flat chamber suitably curved to overlie a desired portion of the edge of the bowl, the curvature corresponding substantially to the corresponding curvature of the bowl edge.

The mouth piece comprises a bottom wall 7 lying fiat on the upper edge of the bowl and a parallel top wall 7 spaced therefrom a suitable distance, as shown, to leave ample clearance for the seat indicated in dotted lines at 8, which is conventionally spaced from the top of the bowl by means of rubber bumpers, not shown.

The inner edge of the top wall projects beyond the inner edge of the bottom wall, as shown, and may curl inwardly for reinforcing purposes. The mouth piece is open toward the bowl to form an intake, as at The mouth piece is secured upon the upper edge ll) of the bowl by means of clamps 3 which catch over the inner face of said edge. These clamps may be made of springy material to adjust themselves to the shape of the bowl edge, or of bendable material adapted to be fitted upon the bowl by the person doing the installing.

The mouth piece forms an integral part of the housing 1, which latter is suspended from the mouth piece along the ouside of the bowl. The housing is made to lie against the outer face of the bowl and is provided with an adjustable bumper 11 which may be screwed up against the bowl to adjust the housing to vertical position.

The lower end 4 of the housing is cylindrical and has the deodorant magazine 5 removably mounted therein. The magazine comprises an outer ring 12 fitting inside the lower end of the housing, a pair of screens 13 mounted across the ends of the ring and a suitable deodorant 14, such as charcoal, confined between the screens.

The magazine may be pushed up into the lower end of the housing until it reaches a stop 15, whereupon it may be secured in place by-a number of screws, indicated at 16. This mounting makes the magazine easily removable.

The bottom end of the housing is cylindrical and connects with the mouth piece or nozzle through a streamlined intermediate section 17 which curves from the flat mouth piece into the cylindrical section to present the latter in substantially parallel relation to the mouth piece, but substantially outside the outer edge of the mouth piece, as shown.

The intermediate section presents an inner face 18 running substantially parallel to the contour of the bowl and an outer face 19 drawn substantially to the arc of a circle. As viewed from the outside, it may be formed with a waist 20 in the upper portion thereof, as shown in Figure 4, so as to provide horizontal sections as shown in Figures 5 and 6.

An electric motor 21 is removably mounted inside the housing, over the magazine, to drive the blower 6 which faces the magazine. The motor may be suitably sup ported by brackets 22. The motor is controlled by a switch mounted inside the housing, the switch including a threaded member 23 slidable vertically in a bracket 24 in which it may be adjustably secured between two lock nuts 25.

The switch is operated by a vertically disposed switch button 26, which latter is acted on by a plunger 27 slidable vertically in a cylinder 28 depending from the wall of the housing immediately adjacent the mouth piece.

The plunger is normally held out of contact with the switch button by a spring 29 which urges the plunger upward and the upper end of the plunger has a screw 31) threaded thereinto, the latter being adapted for locking in adjusted position by means of a lock nut 31. Thus the overall length of the plunger and the screw may be accurately adjusted.

The entire plunger arrangement is mounted to bring the head of the screw 30 underneath the outer rim of the toilet seat 8, which usually projects beyond the rim of the bowl.

The different parts are adjusted to normally bring the top of the screw head approximately to the bottom level of the toilet seat, with a slight clearance left between the plunger and the switch button, and the spring is sufficiently strong to carry the weight of the seat without closing the switch. But it will'yield for closing the switch under the Weight of a seat occupant. 7,

Thus, the motor normally remains inactive, even if the seat is lowered, and only becomes active when a person is seated on the seat.

In normal practice, the manufacturer will provide 'the proper adjustments for the switch and proper spacing between the plunger and the switch button, and the only adjustment necessary at the installation is the turning of the screw 31' to its proper position to make the head of the screw to come substantially to the bottom level of the seat.

It will thus be seen that the nozzle, the housing and the entire operating mechanism form a single unitary structureadapted for installation by a very simple process.

The device may be brought to the point of installation as a complete unit,'and may be simply applied by merely hanging-the clamps 3 over the edge of the toilet bowl, with possibly a slight adjustment of the bumper 11 to bring the housing into vertical position, and of the screw 30 to properly place its head with respect to the toilet seat.

The deodorizer may be applied to the rimot the bowl at any point desired, preferably near the hinge of the toilet seat, as shown in Figure 3, and preferably on the cit-side of the toilet if the latter is located in such a manner as to render one side more conspicuous than the other, as in a corner, for instance.

The magazine may be readily replaced upon removal of the screws 16, and the motor with its fan, may be readily removed by-disconnecting the same from the bracket 22.

I claim:

In a deodorizer for a toilet bowl having an enlarged rim at the upper end thereof, a flat, horizontal mouthpiece adapted for lying on said rim, a pair of clamping members projecting from the mouth-piece andadapted for clamping over the inner face of therim, a housing having a reduced, horizontally disposed neck portion directly connected to said mouth-piece, the housing extending downwardly from the neck and expanding downwardly into annular form, and the housing having an inner wall facing the toilet bowl, with an upper section bearing on the outer face of the rim for cooperation with the clamps in gripping the rim for suspension of the housing from the rim with the axis of the lower end "of the housing in substantially vertical position, the lower section of the inner wall of the housing having an adjustable member movable for contact with the bowl for bracing the housing against the bowl, and the lower cylindrical end of the housing having a deodorizing magazine mounted therein, with a blower mounted in the housing above the magazine, and the said upper section of the inner wall having a switch member mounted for vertical sliding movement immediately adjacent thereto, with the head of the switch member projecting above the neck in close relation to the rim for operation by the toilet seat projecting slightly beyond the rim.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 548,870 Hager Oct. 29, 1895 1,774,156 Root Aug. 26, 1930 1,798,457 Cole Mar. 31, 1931 1,819,521 Root Aug. 18, 1931 2,001,593 Teetor May 14, 1935 2,017,590 Dutfner Oct. 15, 1935 2,167,152 Henschler July 25, 1939 2,214,200 Lowther Sept. 10, 1940 2,297,035 Svec Sept. 29, 1942 2,309,885 Carman Feb. 2, 1943 2,747,201 Herriott May 29, 1956 

